re: 2 Port Barre H.S. Brawls in one week, 4 kids arrested monday

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Scores released for 2001 will be used as a baseline score from which schools must show improvement in two years. Schools not reaching their expected growth target in two years will be placed in corrective action status, like elementary schools are being done this year. Schools in corrective action are suppose to receive additional help and if that doesn't work, schools could eventually be closed on taken over operation by the state. So far the parish has three elementary schools named as in need of corrective action, Morrow, Washington and Plaisance Elementary schools. The state high school average score is 75.9. St. Landry Parish high school performance scores as released by the state this week are:

Port Barre High 87.9 (baseline); 5 (growth by 2003).
Beau Chene 81.4 (baseline); 5 (growth by 2003).
Eunice High 80.4 (baseline); 5 (growth by 2003).
Opelousas High 63.3 (baseline); 5.2 (growth by 2003).
North Central 63.1 (baseline); 5 (growth by 2003).
Northwest 62.8 (baseline); 5.3 (growth by 2003).

"We have a meeting set up for next week to start a process and delineate all of the. steps we are going to take throughout the rest of the year to enhance the test scores," Moreau stated. "We are going to address the needs of the school. "We are going to bring the principals in and evaluate all resources and address them. We don't feel we have a lot missing," he explained. For the past two years, St. Landry Parish students have continued to raise the bar of achievement and credit for those successes has repetitively been given to increased offerings in workshops.

The workshops have been cited as providing teachers with new and creative methods of instruction. "There was a time when we offered workshops and you came because you want to get better," Moreau said. "Now we've added the payment of stipends. "To actually mandate teachers to attend workshops I don't think we can do that. I do want to get the people who are in charge of workshops to compile a listing of who is attending," he said. There may be a way to evaluate whether the classes are helping those teachers, Moreau stated. "Overall our system did incredibly well," Moreau added. "I think we're on the right track right now. We can continue adding to the things we are doing. We know where we are going we can add to the standards. We have a handle on what we are doing," he said.

Among St. Landry Parish elementary schools, 22 of the 29 showed growth over goal scores set by the state. Of the seven elementary schools that did not meet their growth target, two where high scoring schools with a school performance score already over the 10-year goal of a 100 score.

Changes have already been made this school year that could help to improve scores, Moreau said. One of the most noticeable was the mix of more teachers by race. This summer, the St. Landry Parish School began hiring more whites to work in predominately black-staffed and student populated schools and more blacks to work in predominately white staffed and student populated schools. A total of 81 white teachers and 81 black teachers will switch out positions at 28 schools over a three-year period.

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By Jacqueline Cochran Staff Writer

The release of school performance scores for public high schools has St. Landry Parish superintendent Lanny Moreau wondering why three of the parish's six high schools received below average scores. The three majority white schools Beau Chene (62 percent), Eunice (63 percent) and Port Barre High (84 percent) placed above the state average score; and the three majority black schools North Central (75 percent), Northwest (64 percent) and Opelousas High (73 percent) placed below the state average score. Moreau said Friday no one school is receiving more in the way of resources compared to another, so other factors must be involved.

"We're going be addressing that issue at the same time we are going to address the (elementary) schools that missed scoring their growth target," he said. The high school test results released this week grade schools based on student test scores from last school year. School dropout rates and attendance numbers count for 10 percent of the performance score. Open house at OHS Opelousas High School will have an open house from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the school. Parents may pick up second six weeks report cards, set up conferences with teachers as needed and sign up for PTA

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